InFocus IN80 DLP Projector - InFocus IN80

Summary

Our Score

8/10

User Score

Review Price free/subscription

Talking of brightness and contrast, it's in these two key areas that the most potentially significant differences between the IN80 and X10 lie. For the IN80 ups the contrast to 2,500:1 native (7,500:1 via iris) from the X10's 2,300:1 native (7,000:1 via iris), and delivers 1,300 Max ANSI Lumens of brightness against the X10's 1,200.

One final difference between the IN80 and X10 comes with their warranties. For while the X10 ‘only' offers a two-year guarantee with 6 months on the lamp, the IN80 gives three years and 12 months on the lamp.

Other key features common to the IN80 and X10 include the hugely acclaimed DNX video processing engine from PixelWorks; Texas Instruments' Brilliant Colour processing for improving colour saturations and tones; and full support for professional calibration by an Imaging Science Foundation engineer.

As we'd anticipated, the IN80's picture quality is excellent for its money. In fact, crucially, it is noticeably better than that of the X10.

Black levels enjoy the greatest benefit, with slightly more of that ‘inky' look we love so much during, say, the inevitably dark external shots on the Blu-ray of visceral vampire flick, 30 Days of Night. This helps the projector deliver a slightly enhanced sense of the size and scale of the ill-fated town of Barrow, Alaska, too.

The enhanced black levels also help to produce a marginal improvement in colour toning, helping the IN80 handle the unusually tricky and varied palette of skin tones in 30 Days of Night with slightly more naturalism and finesse than the X10. Though this is a much less overt improvement than the black level one.

The IN80's image is also slightly brighter than that of the X10, which adds just a bit more visual impact to the chilling overhead crane shot showing the vampire horde inflicting bloody carnage on Barrow's snow-covered streets.

The extra brightness additionally helps dark parts of the picture contain just a little more shadow detailing, and probably plays a part in the excellent colour toning we mentioned, too.